A study by transportation, economics and urban planning experts has found that ridesharing and ridesourcing services using autonomous vehicles (AV) could shift millions of drivers away from personal cars in major U.S. cities.

“Driverless Future: A Policy Roadmap for City Leaders,” the study prepared by Arcadis, HR&A Advisors and Sam Schwartz Consulting, shows that the move to ridesharing and ridesourcing services that don’t have a driver could cause a shift of up to 60 percent (3.6 million cars) from traditional to autonomous vehicles in the New York metro area alone over the next 15-20 years.

The Los Angeles metro area could see a shift of up to 44 percent (2.2 million cars) and the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area could see a shift of up to 31 percent (nearly 1 million cars).

These shifts of nearly 7 million drivers to autonomous vehicles across three diverse metro areas illustrate how cities across the U.S. could be greatly impacted and reveals the significant effect of driverless services contemplated by companies such as Uber and Lyft.

To help cities prepare for such profound changes in daily life, Arcadis, HR&A Advisors and Sam Schwartz Consulting are offering a policy road map for complex issues related to autonomous vehicles and their potential impact on equity, public transit, parking, land use, and real estate development.

To prepare for this driverless future, the report identifies six priorities for city leaders:

Leverage technology to enhance mobility: Cities and private partners should embrace smartcards, open data, and universal apps. This would allow riders to compare, book, and pay for trips that combine buses, trains, bikes and ridesharing. Pilot programs are already in place in cities ranging from Los Angeles to Helsinki.

Prioritize and modernize public transit: Cities and transit agencies should focus on high-ridership, high-frequency light rail and bus rapid transit systems while driverless shuttles provide first- and last-mile connections for riders. Similar shuttles are already being tested in London and Singapore.

Implement dynamic pricing: To reduce congestion and create a level playing field between public and private transportation, cities should consider dynamic road pricing plans that vary by origin and destination, number of passengers, congestion, and/or household income. This can be implemented through proven tools such as congestion pricing, zone pricing, vehicle-miles traveled fee, etc.

Plan for mixed-use, car-light neighborhoods: AV can unlock demand for living and working in mixed-use neighborhoods – whether they are urban or suburban. To shape this demand, cities need to plan for and incentivize mixed-use development, overhaul parking requirements, and reevaluate new transit projects.

Encourage adaptable parking: Fewer personal cars means fewer parking spaces, especially in city centers where much of the land use is taken by parking garages or lots. Parking garages need to be built with housing or office conversion in mind and include level floors, higher ceiling heights and centralized ramps. These future-proof garages are already being contemplated in Boston and Nashville.

Promote equitable access to new jobs and services: To support disadvantaged populations, cities must encourage public and private operators to provide alternative payment methods, access via dial-a-ride and equitable service coverage. Cities and private partners must also create new employment and training opportunities for drivers and others in legacy occupations.

Highlands Ranch, Colo. - China ranks first, U.S. second in generating significant GDP from built assets; If U.S. invests $1 trillion in infrastructure improvements, U.S. GDP’s return on built assets could improve to 33 percent over 10 years; Implementing asset management tactics could also boost productivity of U.S. built assets by as much as 20 percent.

The U.S. continues to trail China in generating the highest financial returns to its economy and gross domestic product (GDP) from built assets, according to the 2016 Global Built Asset Performance Index released by Arcadis, the leading global design and consultancy for natural and built assets. The index ranks how tangible buildings and infrastructure contribute to each country’s GDP across 36 of the world’s largest economies.

The report finds China’s infrastructure contributes $10.4 trillion from its built assets while the U.S. ranks second at $5.4 trillion. However, a new 10-year infrastructure investment plan proposed by the incoming U.S. administration could have a lasting impact on U.S. built assets and on the U.S. economy as a whole.

The Arcadis index reveals China’s economy gains enormous strength from its built assets – accounting for 54 percent of GDP financial performance in the year studied– compared to 30 percent of GDP returns for the United States. Asset performance is defined as the amount of economic wealth from each country generated from built assets.

While the U.S. still claims the No. 2 spot for built asset productivity, decades of chronic under-investment have reduced the performance of existing U.S. assets over all. This loss of productivity from transit, rail, ports, aviation, buildings and roads is pulling negatively against the U.S. GDP’s return on assets. Meanwhile, Mexico, which trails the U.S. in total income from built assets, currently receives nearly 64 percent of GDP returns thanks to its reliance on infrastructure spending.

Arcadis Global Built Asset Performance Index: Top 10 countries by overall built asset income

Country Income from Built Assets 2016 (US$)

China 10.4tn

USA 5.4tn

India 3.6tn

Japan 1.9tn

Mexico 1.4tn

Indonesia 1.2tn

Germany 1.0tn

Brazil 966bn

Turkey 807bn

France 794bn

Investment and asset management directly impact the productivity and income-generating capacity of built assets. According to Tom Morgan, Arcadis business advisory leader, North America, “This drag on the economy caused by years of under-investment can start to turn around with new public and private funding. For instance, should the U.S. invest $1 trillion over the next 10 years, it could result in an increase of three percent additional growth in built asset performance over that 10-year period. Without that infusion, the U.S. is forecasted to grow by only one percent of GDP returns. While three percent may appear a small percentage, the impact is huge.”

Morgan continued, “Making more sophisticated use of built assets can also squeeze higher, more sustainable financial performance from existing infrastructure, even if overall funding lags. For instance, implementing asset management strategies such as building information modeling, analytics or visualization technologies can maximize financial performance on existing assets from 15 percent to 20 percent. Examples include Airbnb-type office leasing or using drones for maintenance inspections.”

Asset owners can also maximize returns by taking an integrated, holistic view of their businesses or cities so they can better understand their total expenditure (TotEx).

Morgan said, “Transportation, infrastructure and water agencies typically work in silos when it comes to budget allocation. Yet planning across their total assets can optimize municipal and state budgets and maximize financial performance. Asset investment strategies performed with centralized planning that leverage people, data and analytics can produce a more efficient spend. Improved design and integrated thinking ultimately reduce costs and produce better outcomes.”

The 2016 Built Asset Performance Index is an alternative economic indicator that measures how built assets can power more growth to economies and contribute to stronger, sustainable performance. Conducted with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), this year’s Arcadis index examines the income generated by buildings and infrastructure – homes, schools, roads, airports, power plants, malls, railways, ports and all other fixed assets – across 36 countries that collectively represent 78 percent of global GDP. The index measures returns in terms of purchasing power parity to ensure figures are adjusted to how much they are worth in that country.

“Public transit is not just about transportation, we’re here because we believe in a good quality of life.” Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles shares how the $1.55 billion Regional Connector Transit Project now underway will ease congestion around Downtown Los Angeles. He said it also encourages workers to commute to jobs across town while giving them as much as two hours of time back per week, and calendar days per year, to spend with families.

Arcadis has been contracted to provide Construction Management Support Services for the Project. The Project includes 1.9 miles of dual track in tunnels and three underground stations. The Project will directly link 7th Street/Metro Center Station (the Metro Blue Line terminus and Metro Expo Line terminus) located at 7th and Figueroa Streets, to the Metro Gold Line near Little Tokyo/Arts District Station at 1st and Alameda Streets. It will enable continuous train operations between Long Beach and Azusa and from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica without the need to transfer. The project is expected to be completed in 2021.

Click below to view a video as Mayor Garcetti and Arcadis representatives discuss the criticality of the project to the mobility of Los Angeles during a recent ceremony to lower the 1,000 ton, 450-foot long tunnel boring machine at the future site of First and Central Station.

Products

I-75 South Metro Express Lanes

Arcadis designed the variable rate toll lanes using the GDOT innovative design-build approach to expedite project delivery. Arcadis was prime engineer and performed over 80% of the design work....
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The I-75S Metro Express Lanes project is the first reversible tollway in Georgia and only one of three in the Southeast. Arcadis’ design added two variable-rate toll lanes that alternate the direction of traffic flow to meet peak congestion demands. The new lanes were added using the existing median space, and access and exit points are limited.

Arcadis was able to identify more than $13 million in savings for this project, and our design and permitting expertise enabled the contractor to begin construction four months early. By facilitating coordination between our firm, the Georgia Department of Transportation, tolling integrators and the contractor, we overcame the implementation and technical challenges that arose throughout the project.

Arcadis has assisted agencies across the country with the design and implementation of managed lanes. Our multidisciplinary team of highway and bridge engineers and construction specialists have applied their experience on some the nation’s largest design-build projects.

California High-Speed Rail

Arcadis is providing oversight and management of contractors designing and building portions of this 65-mile segment between Fresno and the Tulare-Kern County line, part of the overall high-speed rail network....
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Under a five-year contract, Arcadis serves as the Authority’s eyes and ears on the ground in the Central Valley. Arcadis team members, working with the Authority and the Design-Build contractor, identify, manage and mitigate project risks to provide assurance that technical and contract requirements, including costs, are met for CP 2-3. Specific PCM duties include oversight of inspection and testing of the high-speed train infrastructure, technical and environmental compliance including hazmat oversight, utility relocation, construction safety and public outreach.

With this project we are continuing our participation in some of California’s largest public works projects. Through our extensive expertise in design-build oversight and global high-speed rail we expect to deliver positive outcomes for the local community, the economy and environment.

The successful implementation of this project is expected to be the catalyst for the development of other high-speed rail networks in the United States.

CTA Subway Cellular Upgrades

Arcadis provided construction management services for the design, procurement, construction and closeout of this project, which involved 12 miles of underground subway and 24 miles of individual tunnels....
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Commuters on the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red and Blue lines no longer face the frustration of outdated cellular infrastructure. Recent improvements to the 11-year-old system have upgraded communication andsafety.

Funded through contributions from four major wireless network providers, this $32 million 4G upgrade enables riders to enjoy complete use of their cell and smartphones everywhere in the tunnel system. This is an advantage for CTA staff, contractors and emergency responders as well, providing for better coordination, more efficient use of their time and a safer work environment. Although contractor emergencies are extremely rare in the tunnels, contractors are now less reliant on CTA radios if an emergency should occur.

Arcadis provided construction management services for the design, procurement, construction and closeout of this project, which involved 12 miles of underground subway and 24 miles of individual tunnels. It’s a success that makes the ride to work, school or a meeting with friends and family all the more safe and enjoyable.

Georgia RTOP

When it comes to urban transportation, Arcadis knows how important a smooth flow of traffic is to both a city and its drivers. That’s why we’ve been working with the GDOT on an innovative new program called Fast-Forward....
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Together with the GDOT, our Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) specialists have improved traffic flow, motorist safety and community health in one third of the time.

Our collaboration with Georgia on their Regional Traffic Operations Program, part of the Fast-Forward initiative, has resulted in improved traffic signals along regional routes and a reduction in the number of stops and delays during peak commuting times. The program has been awarded a Smart Solution Spotlight Award from ITS America for demonstrating how public agencies can use technology to cost effectively reduce traffic delays and optimize efficiency.

Accelerated Bridge Construction

Arcadis’ highway and bridge group provides a comprehensive range of services for the planning and design of transportation improvements....
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Our engineers have been responsible for planning and designing hundreds of miles of highways and bridges throughout Ohio. Projects have ranged in size from rural roads to complex interchanges and state-of-the-art bridge structures.One of our most recent and successful projects is an innovative bridge replacement on I-75 near Bowling Green, OH at the interchange of US 6.

A nine-mile stretch of I-75, including twin four-span bridges, was in need of rehabilitation and widening. Because potential traffic delays and closures can pose a problem, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) decided to replace this bridge using accelerated bridge construction techniques. This would be a pilot project that, if successful, would serve as a model for future bridge replacement and rehabilitation projects on busy transportation corridors.

Arcadis developed an innovative approach that “slid” the north- and southbound bridge replacement superstructures into final position in a single weekend, greatly reducing inconvenience to motorists. In preparation for the move, the new abutments and pier were constructed under the existing bridge while it maintained traffic overhead. The new superstructure was constructed to the side of the existing bridge and supported on temporary steel supports until the weekend move.

Our success using accelerated bridge construction techniques on this project not only allowed for an enhanced schedule of the project and minimal traffic disruption, but also increased safety for motorists and workers and improved the quality of construction.